Squad for 2019-2020

Thought I'd start a thread with next seasons team. Great to have Pitts & Keaghan signing new deals but gutting to see Haklett and likely Gallagher on their way out, although guess it was inevitable.

Team for 2019-20
Robbie McCrorie - Contracted until May 2020 (On loan from Rangers)
Ryan Schofield - Contracted until May 2020 (On loan from Huddersfield)
Gary Maley - Contracted until May 2020

Ciaron Brown - Contracted until May 2020 (On loan from Cardiff City)
Aaron Taylor-Sinclair - Contracted until May 2020 (Signed from Free Agent)
Alan Lithgow - Contracted until May 2020
Ricki Lamie - Contracted until May 2020
Jack McMillan - Contracted until May 2020 (Returned from Partick Thistle)
Steve Lawson - Contracted until May 2021
Hakeem Odoffin - Contracted until May 2021
Jon Guthrie - Contracted until May 2021 (Signed from Walsall)
Nicky Devlin - Contracted until May 2021 (Signed from Walsall)
Cécé Pepe - Contracted until May 2021 (Signed from Rieti)

Steven Lawless - Contracted until May 2020
Chris Erskine - Contracted until May 2020
Scott Robinson - Contracted until May 2021
Scott Pittman - Contracted until May 2021
Robbie Crawford - Contracted until May 2021 (Signed from Ayr Utd)
Aymen Souda - Contracted until May 2021 (Signed from Dunărea Călărași)
Keaghan Jacobs - Contracted until May 2022
Craig Sibbald - Contracted until May 2022
Marvin Bartley - Contracted until May 2022 (Signed from Hibs)

Lyndon Dykes - Contracted until May 2022 (Signed from QOS)

Out
Liam Kelly - TBC (Released)
Jordan Pettigrew - Dumbarton (End of Contract)
Matija Sarkic - Aston Villa (Recalled from Loan)
Ross Stewart - QOS (Loan)

Callum Crane - Edinburgh City (Released)
Craig Halkett - Hearts (End of Contract)
Declan Gallagher - Motherwell (End of Contract)
Ciaran Brown - Cardiff City (End of Loan)
Cammy Clark - Released
Henk Van Schaik - Greenock Morton (Undisclosed Fee)

Shaun Byrne - Dundee (Undisclosed Fee)
Nicky Cadden - Greenock Morton (Undisclosed Fee)
Matthew Knox - Released
Gregg Wylde - Released
Cameron Blues - Greenock Morton
Rafa De Vita - Partick Thistle (Loan)
Craig Henderson - Bo'ness United (Loan)
Carlo Pignatiello - Stranraer (Loan)
Scott Tiffoney - Ayr United (Loan)
Jack Stobbs - Sheffield Wednesday (End of Loan)

Ryan Hardie - Rangers (End of Loan)
Jack Hamilton - Queen of the South (Loan)
Dolly Menga - Petro de Luanda (Loan)
Lee Miller - Falkirk

Interesting that we have so many already signed.

Like you said, it’s disappointing that we will lose Captain Halkett & probably Dec but they have served us well for a few seasons now & I can understand them wanting a new challenge. I wish them well except when they play us.

I'd like to see Jack Hamilton get a new deal. I think the potential is there. I'd also be happy with Lawless and Robinson signing again.

Agree with you Orco, I wouldn’t be averse to Lee Miller getting a 1 year deal either; he put in a power of work to get us promoted & hasn’t really had a chance this season through injury.

Think Robbo said on andylivi's podcast that he had a clause for a contract extension that kicked in after him playing a certain amount of games, and he'd reached the amount necessary.


Lawless has been dropped for a more defensive WB player, but he's like Mullin last season, a good player going forward, just need to play him in a different role to make full use of his talents.


Only thing that concerns me about Lee Miller, is if he'll ever fully recover enough from his injury to have a run of games for us, struggled all season with it, and he's had a couple of attempts at coming back playing but kept breaking down. Maybe offer him a dual role as a striker coach and if he doesn't make it back playing after another attempt, hang his playing boots up and go into coaching for us.

Well, well, well. Now it’s official, Dec going to Well. Disappointing but not unexpected & like the Skipper he has been tremendous for us so I wish him every success... except when they play us.

Wow, could've knocked me down with a feather when I saw that startling news on the BBC website.

Wouldn't mind seeing us trying to get Buchanan back, think he signed for Morton this season after helping us get promoted. He always looked decent when called upon, but was never going to get a starting place with our back 3 having their places nailed down.

Liviforever wrote:Wouldn't mind seeing us trying to get Buchanan back, think he signed for Morton this season after helping us get promoted. He always looked decent when called upon, but was never going to get a starting place with our back 3 having their places nailed down.

Stop me if I'm getting too carried away but is it fair to say that we should be able to attract players of a better quality now? Nothing against Buchanan, he hardly got a sniff at Livi but I'd have hoped we could afford and be able to lure a more experienced type of player to the club.

ol1vercloff wrote:

Liviforever wrote:Wouldn't mind seeing us trying to get Buchanan back, think he signed for Morton this season after helping us get promoted. He always looked decent when called upon, but was never going to get a starting place with our back 3 having their places nailed down.

Stop me if I'm getting too carried away but is it fair to say that we should be able to attract players of a better quality now?  Nothing against Buchanan, he hardly got a sniff at Livi but I'd have hoped we could afford and be able to lure a more experienced type of player to the club.

Suppose so, i'm just panicking a bit with us losing 2 of a steady and reliable back 3, and know what Buchanan is like.

But I agree, there must be a lot more players like Pittman and Byrne out there, or even Kelly and Halkett, stuck at a big club not getting their chance. We must be well known for giving players a platform to progress to bigger things now, and playing top flight football should also be a good draw.

There are still diamonds to be discovered there out with the bigger teams. Look at Lithgow a part time player of many clubs who flourishes in the kind of team Livi have become. Pittman is another. Keaghan has been with us through the divisions. Robinson came to us from East Fife. I am hoping our management team can pull it off again and find replacements who fit in to our style of play. We need defenders who can win balls in the air. Halkett and Gallagher were so adept at this
No doubt about it though they will be a big miss. Our solid defence has been key to our success over the last couple of seasons

Halkett & Gallagher are also both very good with the ball, can both dribble & pass very well for centre backs. It is a travesty they have been overlooked by the national team coaching & “scouting” personnel after the season they have both had...

Bertie Bassett wrote:Halkett & Gallagher are also both very good with the ball, can both dribble & pass very well for centre backs. It is a travesty they have been overlooked by the national team coaching & “scouting” personnel after the season they have both had...

Assuming he plays, he'll get called up to the first Scotland squad while he's at Hearts. Kelly only got called up because how shite the rest of Scotland's keepers are, and they were all injured. He'd also be getting called up to every squad if he wasn't at a 'diddy' side.

I have no doubt you are correct.

Marvin Bartley signed on an PCA from Hibs.

Cracking signing, more of that calibre would do.

Hibs fans gutted, which always a good sign. General consensus seems to be that while not the most technically gifted, he always puts himself about, gets stuck in and if used properly can be a great player.

Sounds exactly like the kind of player we've had in midfield for the last couple years. Should be a good signing.

Marv, Marv, Super Marv, Super Marvin Bartley

A bit older than our usual signings (Neil Alexander notwithstanding) but he has impressed me from time to time as a Hub so we’ll see how he does.

How about Kevin Nisbet from raif, 30 goals for them in League One and a youngish player (22) still developing, sounds like just the kind of player we like  to sign.

Not too shabby a return; I’m sure he’d jump at a move to the top flight & to a team where he’d get a game.

I notice that in today’s papers Gary Holt is the bookies favourite to take over at Kilmarnock.
He has a Kilmarnock crest tattooed on his left calf.

He is an ex Killie player & they are the team he followed as a boy... he’s since played well for other teams & managed us well for most of the season just ended so I’d suggest the Killie crest on his leg is irrelevant to him professionally.

Interesting wording in the announcement of Stevie Lawless extending his contract for another year.

We feel there is a lot more to come from him as for large parts of last season he was utilised at right wing back.
“This is something that will change going into next season and Steven will play a big part again next season.”

Suggests he'll be played as a winger this season, which makes me wonder if we'll be playing 4 at the back in a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1 formation.

Like Mullin the prev season, I think Lawless would be far better as an out and out winger, so that should make our attack a bit better down the wing.

I have a feeling we will be going 4-5-1; mainly because it’s a formation I dislike intensely.

With Halkett & Gallagher going I don’t think we have the personnel to continue playing a back 3. Which is a great pity because that’s what I prefer.

I don't mind 4-5-1 as long as we get the attacking midfielders up supporting the target man, we had to play like that in the play off finals after nearly all our strikers were injured and Miller was the only one left. Pittman and Robinson are excellent at that kind of supporting role.


We'll just have to see if we sign a goal scoring striker though, so far we've only got guys like Dykes and Miller, who are suited to supporting roles, strikers that will hold up the ball for the midfield to get up and support them. Or Dolly who'll barge and burst through towards goal, but isn't that great at scoring goals.

IMO it’s time to give Hammy a run either with Dykes or with Miller

Kelly away